North Star
by SlytherinDearie
Summary: Commodore Norrington made it his life to protect people, why should his afterlife be any different? NorrieOC.
1. Chapter 1

This story is dedicated to my nephew, Dalton Wayne Miller, may you have many Guardian Angels to protect you on life's journey. His 8th birthday is Saturday June 13, 2009!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters original to the Pirates of the Caribbean series. However, I do own all of the characters original to the fan fiction _North Star._ Such characters may not be used without my permission.

Authors note: I know I switched up the family sides in the revised and original versions. Please bear with me until I revise the later chapters.

If you walk down the hallway of any high school in America, who do you see? You see the typical football jock and his chesty, blonde cheerleader girlfriend making out in front of the lockers, the extreme pimply nerds wheezing for their inhalers and the scary goth kids in black makeup and clothes. You don't really see the kids like me, Myra Gillette, that are the fillers in the bologna that is high school. Heck, I blend in so well that, remember that making out couple? Yeah, that's my locker their making out in front of. Not even the other students notice me.

I'm just your average teenage girl. I have a job, a car, a group of friends, two 'best friends' and a family. Speaking of my family, my great grandparents on my father's side came here from England. My ancestor was Andrew Gillette, he was part of the Royal Navy, second only to the Commodore. I guess most American teenagers don't have that kind of family legacy.

How many people in the hallway have a secret, and if so, what? The usual hidden secrets, or not so well hidden, in a typical high school are, who's having sex with who, who's on drugs and what kind, who has and STD and if it's curable or not, who's pregnant and who's the daddy.

I have a secret. It's not a bad one, but you don't go blurting it out to people. No one would believe me anyway. What is it, you ask? I have a guardian angel. Well, had one, he left me when I was ten. I'm seventeen now.

I spend many nights, tossing and turning, replaying the times I was with him, trying to find something that I did wrong to make him leave me. He said he will always be there, like the North Star, when I needed help. And, he always was, until he left. He _was_ my north star. Sometimes, I even wonder if he was real or not. What I know for sure, is the first day he popped into my life.

I was only six years old, playing in the park. It was one of those perfect spring days. It had just stopping raining and the smell of rain still hung in the air. The wind was gently blowing, the sky was clear and blue and the sun was shining. I, of course, being the average six year old, was not preoccupied with the beautiful scenery. I was trying to climb the monkey bars. Every time I went to the park, I'd always try to climb the monkey bars. Sometimes, I'd make it to the third bar, and then fall because my hands hurt. That's usually as far as I would make it. Other times, I wouldn't even make it past the first bar when I would fall. My dad and grandpa, who usually took me to the park, would always laugh at my stubbornness and calloused hands.

On this particular day, I made it to the fourth bar, but I almost fell. Back them, falling that far was equal to falling off of Mount Everest, so of course, I was scared that I'd die from falling off the monkey bars, but he grabbed me before I could fall and helped me across the rest of the bars.

"Mommy, mommy! I made it! This man helped me!" I exclaimed happily, eagerly pointing to the man. I was so proud of myself, that it was equal to _climbing_ Mount Everest.

"There's no man there, Myra. C'mon, time to leave. Grandpa's coming over for dinner." My mother said.

I groaned in reluctance (about leaving the park, not seeing my beloved grandfather), but before I could walk back to her, I saw a piece of paper under the monkey bars. It wasn't like today's paper. It was brown and old looking. I looked to my mom and I saw that she was talking to another person, so I picked it up. It was a short letter addressed to me. I did my best to read it.

"I'm here to protect you. Like the North Star, I'll always be here. Your Protector" The letter said. It was written in black ink and weird looking cursive writing with a lot of loops and swirls on the letters.

"C'mon Myra, honey." Mom called again, extending her hand to me.

"I'm comin'!" I said as I slipped the letter into my pocket and ran over to my mom, taking her hand as she led me to the car.

I looked back and I saw my guardian. He was tall and dressed in gold, blue, cream, and white clothing. He had white hair tied back in a ponytail with a blue ribbon, but he was too young to have white hair. On top of his head, he had a weird triangular hat on. I never seen a hat like that. He smiled at me with nod and disappeared into thin air.

I still have that piece of paper. On the times when I wonder if he was real, I decide that the piece of paper is hoax fabricated by my grandfather to make me feel safe. The rest of times, I cling to that piece of paper as a sign that he was real. Then I realize, that I must have done something terrible to make him leave me. That always leads to sense of dread for my afterlife and sadness in my life at that moment. My parents and grandfather later told me that they would see him when I was a baby and toddler. They said they would see him standing at my crib, looking down upon me. When they would see each other, he would flicker into disappearance. They never got a good look at him.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time I saw Mr. Norrie, was at my 7th birthday party at the zoo. I always loved the zoo, the seals, dolphins, monkeys, and elephants. I don't remember how many times I tried to climb into the cages with the animals or take one of the free roaming animal home.

All my friends were invited to my party, Sarah, Nicole, Amber, Penny, and Elly and most of my closest family members came. It was perfect. Back then, that was a lot of people. When it came to the presents, I got the special Barbie doll I wanted from my grandpa and the tea set I've been eyeing from my cousin Miley. The cake was delicious and so was the ice cream and candy. Just as the sugar rush was beginning our parents set us off in the zoo (with them close behind of course). I wandered off from the group who were staring at the wolves, which scared me, and into the butterfly building.

When I entered the building, I found it empty aside from the free-flying butterflies. I began to wander around the room, looking at the butterflies flying around me. I turned the corner and saw Mr. Norrie. Apparently, he wasn't keen on the idea of the small winged creatures landing on him. He batted them off gently enough for them not to be hurt (because he didn't want bug guts on his nice blue coat), but hard enough for them to get the point.

I giggled and it caught his attention. He looked so funny batting away the butterflies! It was like he was doing some sort of weird dance. He smiled and walked up to me.

"Happy birthday, Myra." He said in a thick British accent.

"Thank you, Mr. Norrie." I said smiling my cutest 7 year old smile.

"I have something for you, close your eyes." He said.

I giggled and closed my eyes and felt him put something heavy over my neck.

"You can open them now."

I opened my eyes and saw he put some sort of weird looking necklace around me. It was on a red ribbon instead of a chain. The medallion was a gold cross that had several jewels on it. At the time, I thought it was as real the plastic tiara I played dress up with, but I liked it.

"It's weird. I like it. I like weird things." I said, examining my new trinket.

He chuckled. "I'm glad you like it. Now, don't lose it. It's very valuable."

"What's valuable mean?"

"It means: costly, hard to replace." Mr. Norrie explained.

"How old are you, Mr. Norrie?" I asked innocently.

He got down to my level and said, "Well, let's put it this way; when I was your age, everybody wrote with feathers instead of those plastic pens you write with now."

I gasped. I never knew it was possible to write with feathers!

"Really?" I asked happily.

"Commodore James Norrington never lies." He said, proudly, standing up to his full height.

Before I could respond I heard my party guest come into the building.

"Myra?" I heard my grandpa call for me. I turned to look at Mr. Norrie, but he disappeared like my birthday cake.

"There you are." He said happily, then he noticed my gift from Mr. Norrie.

"Where'd you get that, poppet?" He asked.

"Mr. Norrie gave it to me!" I said happily. "I love Mr. Norrie, he's my best friend!" I proclaimed.

"Mr. Norrie?" Grandpa repeated. I could tell he recognized the name. "What does he look like?" He asked for confirmation.

"Well, he has white hair, but he's not old like you. He wears a blue coat and white panty hose, but I though only girls wore those...Oh! And he wears a funny hat shaped like a triangle!" I explained.

"I see…"He said knowingly, "come on, darling you're missing your party." He said, taking my hand and leading me back to the party.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, I had no problem going to bed. The party had worn me out with all the running and playing and laughing. While I was asleep in bed, my parents and grandpa talked about my friend, Mr. Norrie.

"Did you now about Myra's 'invisible friend,' I guess you can call him, Mr. Norrie?" Grandpa asked as my dad sat next to him and my Mom poured tea for them.

"I haven't heard about him." My dad said, shaking his head.

"I think I have. She said something about a man helping her across the monkey bars a few weeks ago. She wasn't specific though." Mom replied.

"She said Mr. Norrie gave her that medal she had today." Grandpa replied. Everyone thought it was odd how I emerged from the butterfly building with a medal around my neck. Especially since the medal looked real. My parents thought someone lost it, thinking it was a just an exceptional replica and tried to take it to the lost and found. However, my grandpa intervened and allowed me to keep it.

"What are you getting at, Dad?" Dad asked.

"I don't think Mr. Norrie is any run of the mill invisible friend. I think he's the ghost of The Commodore."

"You mean the friend of Ancestor Gillette?" Dad asked.

"You've got to be kidding." Mom said. She never believed in the paranormal or the occult. She always told me that the stories she read me before were fairy tales and always would be. There was no such thing as ghost or magic. Which totally killed my dream of being accepted at Hogwarts and meeting Professor Snape or that the car I know own could have been a Transformer.

"Then how did Myra get that medal? And come up with "Norrie" you both know that's what his troops called him behind his back. Also, she was trying to write with a feather today, like it was a quill. Our ancestors would be appalled that you can hardly remember our family's history! It all started with…" Grandpa said then Dad chimed in.

"Ancestor Andrew Gillette's grandson moving from London to America, I know Dad." My dad finished.

My parents were stumped to say anything. My mother believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Norrie was make-believe, my grandpa knew it was the ghost of the Commodore, and my dad however, didn't know what to think.

While this 'discussion' was taking place, I had a terrible nightmare. I woke up crying when I saw Mr. Norrie.

He took me into his arms and gently rubbed my back as he whispered "It's okay, Myra, I'm here. Nothing is going to hurt you." In his arms, I felt protected and loved. Nothing could hurt me when I was in Mr. Norrie's arms or when I was with him. His soothing voice soon lulled me back to sleep. He smiled as he tucked me into bed and kissed my forehead.

The next week, I was at the grocery store with my Mom. Before we left she picked up the developed pictures from my birthday party. While at the stop light she thumbed thru the pictures. Pictures of the animals, of my pretty blue party dress, of my friends and cake. She gasped when another picture of me came to her eyes.

It was a picture of me and all my party guests standing in behind the cake and the mountain of my presents. Behind me was Mr. Norrie, Dressed in his ceremonial navy uniform (complete with feathers on his triangular hat and enough brocade to be mistaken as a Mardi Gras float) with a pair of brilliantly white angel wings on his back that I never saw when I saw him. What startled my Mom the most was that he wasn't transparent like other ghosts. It was as though he were alive again.

The sound of honking horns from behind the mini-van snapped my Mom back to reality. She quickly drove home to show dad and grandpa this particular picture.

While I was taking a nap, (which I was really playing dolls with Mr. Norrie and his friend Mr. Andie. Mr. Andie kept on insisting that his doll committed suicide and was unable to play.) my Mom called my grandpa to come over to see the picture.

Grandpa put on his glasses and examined the picture. "That's him. Commodore James Norrington and none the more handsomer after all these years, I might add." Grandpa looked back at my parents. "I'm stating the obvious, but I don't think he's the average ghost either. I think he _is_ her Guardian Angel."

"I still think this is absurd! I need better proof of this! I mean, you could have found a painting of him from the internet and put it in the picture so I would believe this!" Mom exclaimed.

Suddenly the pen next to my mom's arm grew a life of it's own and began to scribble on a napkin in the perfect cursive writing that was on my letter I found.

"Ancestor Gillette wants to know where you hide the rum." The napkin said.

My parents gawked at the napkin. My grandpa grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

As the years past by, Mr. Norrie grew to be a loyal friend and protector. Every time I nearly got hurt or fell off of my bike he always caught me before I could get hurt. He even showed up in all the pictures taken of me. I remember before every school picture day, telling him he couldn't be in this particular picture. I stopped calling him Mr. Norrie when I was eight and started calling him by his first name, James.

I couldn't help but laugh when he would try to sing, Toby Keith's "Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Horses"

"We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces, singing whiskey for my men, beer for my horses." He would sing with Mr. Andie (who became Andrew as well), who James told me was my ancestor named Andrew Gillette. Though, their singing could easily be compared to killing a cat with a washboard.

James hates how the world has changed. "Kids and people these days have little respect for elders." he would say. When he accompanied me to school, he would gasp at what the skin-baring trends were. "If I ever see you dressed like a prostitute like your classmates are, I'll send you to the Navy." He would tell me. Needless to say, he didn't like when I started listening to Lady Gaga religiously.

Eventually, my mom began to believe the strange phenomenon taking place in her home. Late at night she would hear the sound of a sword being drawn from it's scabbard. I told her that James was practicing his sword fighting skills and he carried a sword to protect me, though he never had to use it. We all would occasionally hear the sound of James walking up and down the halls late at night. Even the occasional trash of things falling. James was always polite enough to pick up whatever he knocked over. He swore it wasn't him being clumsy, that it was because he couldn't see in the dark or that he tripped over my dog Rosko.

* * *

Norrington returned to the Other Side tired after playing with 10 year old Myra. He thought about how he changed since his time on Earth while he was alive. He used to be cold, unemotional and strict. Though he was strict with Myra when it came to getting her homework done before playing and being polite and kind, he anything but cold and unemotional to Myra.

'Most likely because she's only a child….She could get away with murder with me.' Norrington thought.

"Well, 'ello there, mate." A voice that was like nails on a chalk board to Norrington, said from behind him.

Norrington turned on his heel and was face to face with Jack Sparrow. "Are they giving out Guardian titles now?"

" I made it to Heaven didn't I? Got a boy named Timmie ta watch over. Crazy lil scamp 'e is. Likes 'ta set things on fire. Mostly frogs. " Sparrow said, grimacing at the last part.

"You don't belong here." Norrington said as he drew his sword.

"Stop." A heavenly voice that didn't has a gender laced to it said. "Fighting is not allowed in here, the punishment is Earthbound." The voice said as two Angels grabbed Norrington by each arm to keep him from moving as another Angel grabbed his wings and yanked them of him as though they were band aids. He screamed in pain.

"Tell your Child you must go, no more, no less." The voice explained.

* * *

After eating a snack, I plopped down on my bed with a book. Before I could read the first paragraph I heard James call my name.

"Myra." He said a ragged voice.

I looked up and saw him there. He looked tired and beaten, no longer standing straight and proud. He looked so sad.

"What's wrong, James?" I asked worriedly.

"I must leave you, Myra. My time is over." He explained, not looking at me with those green eyes I loved.

"Why? You said you'd always be here!" I asked on the verge of tears.

He took me into his arms for one last time as I cried like I never cried before. I was losing my best friend and the man I had a crush on for years...

"That I cannot say. I'm sorry, Myra. It's my fault. I love you." He said as he disappeared. I looked at my hands and saw his blood. I cried louder.

My parents rushed in. "What's wrong?" They asked.

"James left me."

I loved him, too.


	5. Chapter 5

In the years after James left, I grew into a normal teenager. I went through boyfriends like I did shoes and spent every minute I had free with my friends. I received my license when I turned sixteen and had a decent job at the local coffee shop.

The only person that knew about James, besides my parents and grandpa were my best friends Michael and Lana. We hardly ever talked about him though. It was just too painful for me.

Michael was the stereotypical nerd. He loved Star Trek, comic books, math, science, and Star Wars. He always has straight A's and always received hundred percent on his daily assignments. Lana and I usually cheated off of him in class. Lana was just like me. The rocker girl who's drug is art and music.

I grew into an artist. I love art as much as Lana does. I can write one day and start a new painting the next. My hands were constantly covered with paint or ink. Sometimes, my finger tips would bleed from getting so wrapped up in my guitar. I wondered, when I allowed myself to, what would James think of me now?

I never knew what to think about him, so I didn't. Was he a ghost? An imaginary friend? Or was he my Guardian Angel? No, he wasn't an imaginary friend because I have his medal. I knew in my heart of hearts, he was my Guardian.

One day, I came into my European History class. It was the last few weeks of my senior year. It was a normal day complete with baby-sitting my little sister after school. I never knew that that particular day would begin to change my life.

"Okay, class, open you're books to Chapter 11 page 105. We starting our chapter on the Golden Age of Piracy today and what a better way to start off with none other than with Captain Jack Sparrow, The King of Pirates." My teacher, Mr. Kern said, turning off the lights.

"Captain Jack Sparrow was born on a pirate ship in a typhoon." Mr. Kern said as he started a Power Point over the chapter and us students followed in our books.

"God I hate pirates." I muttered to Lana, sinking into my seat. I stopped listening and began to doodle on my notebook.

"That's a painting of Ole Captain Jack." Mr. Kern said, pointing the red laser pointer in the middle of the pirate's tanned forehead. The doodle I was drawing was that of Sparrow being shot by snipers. I giggled to myself. The girls in my class sighed in pleasure while looking at Sparrow.

We turned the page and I was face to face with James...sort of.

"Commodore James Norrington of the British Royal Navy was known as the Pirate Hunter. Stationed in Port Royal, Jamaica. He hung every pirate he encountered using his own quote "A short drop and a sudden stop." His downfall was Jack Sparrow who he let go for unknown reasons he chased Sparrow threw a hurricane losing his ship, status and men. It Lead him to become a pirate himself. He somehow managed to regain his honor and was promoted to Admiral of the East India Trading Company. He was MIA soon after. His body was never recovered. " Mr. Kern read.

I sat there in shock. I hated pirates! How could have James been one himself? It was a lie! All I knew was that I needed to somehow get to Jamaica….


	6. A Writer's Plea for Help

Hey everyone! First off, I want to apologize profusely for the lack of updates. I have unintentionally been abusing my stories and readers. Several issues have stopped me from writing and I hate it. I'm just not me when I'm not writing and I don't feel productive. Secondly, I want to assert that NONE of my stories are discontinued. I do intend to finish them. By the way things are going right now, that could take years. Literally. I desperately need a beta reader. Constructive criticism could help me get back on my feet in terms of writing. So, if you're up to being my beta, please message me ASAP.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Just a cool lil' fact, I'm a ghost hunter with Ghost Scene Investigation of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've actually been to and investigated Waverly Hills Sanatorium! It's an intense place! Anyway, here's some of the ghost hunter jargon that you might need:

EVP:EVP stands for **E**lectronic **V**oice **P**henomena. EVP's are voices or sounds caught on recordings and are not heard when the recording was being made, but are found after the fact. Voices heard during recoding are considered "disembodied voices".

Intelligent Haunting: Spirits that are intelligent and can interact with their surroundings. It is believed that these ghosts will try to manifest themselves and be seen by the living whenever possible.

Residual Haunting: This is the most common types of ghosts. Mostly related to tragic events, this in when enough energy is produced it is literally burnt into an area or object. When this happens this event will replay itself, as if in an infinite loop when the right conditions presents itself to trigger it. No one even has to be present for this to happen. A residual haunting is the opposite of an Intelligent Haunting.

Personal Experiences: Basically it means you experienced ghostly activity. Either you saw a ghost, heard unexplained noises, or an object moved on it's own accord, ect.

* * *

That night, I got on the family computer and researched Port Royal. I read that the island suffered two devastating earthquakes in the past years, one in 1692 and 1907. Both hurricanes left portions of Port Royal underwater. The local government had tried to rebuild, but it seemed like the island was cursed. A hurricane, flood, fire, and a cholera epidemic hindered the progress. Eventually, everyone stopped caring. Today, Port Royal is a shadow of it used to be, what James made it to be. No more than two thousand people live there. My heart ached for James. He told me stories about Port Royal when we were together and he worked so hard to make it a nice place. All his work was washed away.

Going back to the search engine page, I skimmed along the results. A peculiar page caught my eye. I opened it and read. A notable ghost hunter TV show actually investigated the ruins of Fort Charles. Citizens of Port Royal claimed they saw spirits of Red Coats that died in a hurricane, attempting to capture Jack Sparrow. The most prevalent claim was the spirit of James, looking woefully at the sea on the ramparts. He also made nonexistent doors slam shut

I scrolled lower on the page and found the actual investigation and evidence. They had several EVPS, photo anomalies, and personal experiences. I looked at the pictures they took and didn't see anything compelling, so I decided to listen to their EVP's. I grabbed my earbuds from my Ipod and plugged them into the computer. I clicked the first one.

"Why are you still here?" One of the ghost hunters asked.

"….my own fault. I need to see Myra…" A fate voice said. My heart leaped and sunk at the same time. That was James' voice! He was ghost and was stuck on earth because of me! I couldn't read anymore of the page, but I did anyway. From their personal experiences they concluded that the Fort was indeed haunted and that the spirit of Red Coats were residual hauntings, but that James was an intelligent haunting. That was the final straw for me. James knew what was going on. I never felt so bad in my entire life.

As I shut down the computer and walked to my room, I thought about my time with James. He was my Obi Wan Kenobi in brocade. I remembered how he used to teach me, help me with my homework and how he was always there. He was my north star, pointing me in the right direction in my life's journey.

I sighed and looked around my room. I saw how much it changed, how much _I _changed. Gone were Barbie dolls and toys, replaced by an easel with a brown, paint-spattered tarp under it and a guitar next to it. My room, once painted flowery pink, was now rocker girl purple with posters and pictures all over. Makeup, clothes and accessories were everywhere.

Curling into bed, I knew what my next plan of action was. As I began to fall asleep, I groped under my pillow for what I needed more than ever: James' medal. I clutched it in my hand so tight that the medallion made imprints in my hand. After all those years, it still smelt like James.

As graduation and the end of Senior year came closer and closer, everyone was talking about graduation parties and presents. Lana received cherry red classic Mustang from her parents. Michael's parents bought him a top of the line laptop that he did everything but shower with. I chose to combine my present and party into one: a vacation with my family including Michael and Lana to Jamaica. That was my next plan of action. I was going to help James to get where ever he needed to go; whether that was Heaven, or with me. I just wanted James to be happy.

* * *

Graduation night came all too quickly, for my parents at least. Mom had been crying since the beginning of that month, knowing I would soon be graduating. I tried to make her feel better by telling her she still had my little sister Emma, but she only cried louder.

"She'll be graduating soon too! Those ten years will just fly by!" She wailed. I steered clear of that topic with her.

On the morning of graduation, I got up early too avoid my mother. Her depression was contagious. I'm a nostalgic person, and when she started talking about my childhood and how I was no longer a child, I cried right along with her. I had other things on my mind that day, such as to remember to wear James' medal, even if I did keep it tucked in my shirt all day.

"I'm leaving! I love you!" I yelled to everyone in the house and rushed out the door before I could be apprehended.

I had an hour to kill before I had to be a graduation venue for practice, so I drove around aimlessly. I finally did arrive at the venue twenty minutes early. Little by little, my fellow classmates trickled in and our practice started. After we finished practice and took our graduation pictures, we were told we had to go to class. Few listened.

"Let's go get some real food for lunch, not cafeteria 'fake 'n bake'. I'm starving." Lana said as we all headed to our cars.

"You mean you don't want to eat your last school cafeteria lunch?" Michael joked.

"Bleh! Hell no! My last one was on the first day of first grade!"

I laughed at my friends banter and we decided to eat a the local burger restaurant. We all drove there and once we got our lunch, we talked about Jamaica.

"So, what your plan?" Lana said with her mouth full.

"I dunno." I shrugged. " I guess I'm just gonna sneak down to the old Fort, find James and talk to him. I'll go from there. I just want you guys for moral support."

"Yeah, I'll be there for moral support, but I'm also going to prove the existence of life after death. _That _my friends, will get me into Harvard." Michael said confidently.

I reached across the table and smacked him. "You are not going to exploit my guardian angel for scientific purposes!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Okay! Okay! Sorry! Geez!"

"Good." I said, satisfied.

Graduation is blur to me now. It all happened so fast. I was obsessed with having the cheer after my name was called to be loud, but I was almost in a daze because I was actually graduating, that I didn't register it. I was upset James couldn't see it. I knew he would have wanted to. I shook it off, knowing it was recorded and there were plenty of pictures that I could show him. I did remember openly wearing James' medal.

At three o'clock the next morning, I was awoken by Emma screaming in my ear, "Wake Myra! We're going to Jamaica!" She climbed on my bed and started jumping, "C'mon, get up! We're going to Jamaica! We're gonna see dolphins and sea turtles and seahorses…"

"I'm up!" I groaned, rising up from my bed as though I were the dead in a coffin.

I had just gone to bed the previous hour after Skyping Lana and Michael and was not a happy soldier. I wandered down the hall and I found my mom in the master bathroom doing her hair.

"Do we have to leave at three in morning?" I asked, leaning against the door facing.

"No, no. We have to leave at _four _and be at the airport by six. Plus we have to pick up Lana and Michael and drop off Rosko at your grandfather's." She explained. Her graduation depression had worn off over night. I knew when I moved out that August things were going to get worse that before.

"Gotcha…" I said groggily and wandered back to my room. Emma had left my room in favor of watching Spongebob Squarepants downstairs. To this day I still wonder why that particular cartoon is on at 3 A.M..

I had all my luggage packed as soon as I learned the trip was official, which was five weeks prior. All I had to do was get dressed. My grandpa wanted to go, but his health restricted him. He quickly saw through my plan, even though my parents didn't.

"Tell the Commodore I said hello." He said to me on graduation night.

A little after four, my parents, sister and I loaded up the family car and headed to my friends' houses. Lana was as I tired as I was, Michael was still awake. He had been playing some online videogame since we all signed off and was completely engrossed in it.

For most of the journey to Jamaica, I was either asleep or playing with the laptop grandpa bought me for graduation. Michael passed out about fifteen minutes after we took off and didn't wake up until we landed.

"Myra?" Emma asked, leaning forward towards my seat.

I turned to face her, "Yeah?"

"Are you going to find your guardian angel?" She asked innocently. My eyes widened. How did she know?

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Andrew told me. We're related to him. He said that he knew you when you were my age. He's my guardian angel. He also said that James didn't leave and that he would never think of doing that, not intentionally anyway, whatever that means."

So 'Mr. Andie' was still here and was my little sister's guardian angel? The thought made me smile and was heartwarming. I knew that James and Andrew were close when they were alive, but Andrew stopped coming around when James left.

"Is he here now?" I asked.

"Yep!" Emma smiled. "He's right here!" She said pointing to the empty seat next to her. Things like empty seat next to you or no one being around you when you talk to your guardian or touch them always seemed to be. I think that they manipulate it. Then I realized that I couldn't see Andrew. Did that mean I couldn't see James?

"Andrew says that you can't see him because your older now, but since James was your guardian, you could still see him." Emma explained.

I smiled, "Thanks Andrew."

* * *

A little after 8 'o clock local time, we arrived in Port Royal. In the taxi ride to our hotel I observed the little town. There were no big companies there, everything was family owned. From what I read, the only thing that remained of James' Port Royal was Fort Charles. The hotel we stayed at was small, but nice and clean.

I don't know if it was just because I knew James was near, or it was something else, but while I was in Port Royal, I felt his presence everywhere. I wanted to go to the Fort as soon I as put my luggage in the room I was sharing with Lana, but once I sat down on the bed, I was so tired, that I fell asleep.

At five in the morning, I awoke with a start. Today was the day. I was going to see James and get this mess cleared up. I jumped out of bed and woke up Lana in the bed next to mine.

"Get up! We're sneaking out to the Fort!" I said shaking her.

She groaned and rolled over. I went into the bathroom and grabbed a paper cup, filling it with ice cold water. I walked back to Lana's bedside and unceremoniously threw it on her.

She gasped and sat straight up, "You bitch!"

"I know. C'mon we're going to the Fort."

Lana wiped her face and looked at the clock on the bedside table, "It's on five ten!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, so? I want to go before my parents wake up. I want a little privacy when I see James again." I said as Lana got dressed.

"By privacy, you mean me and Michael?" She asked.

"Yeah. I had nightmares last night that my parents came and took pictures."

"Ah, seen but not heard. Gotcha."

Next, we had to rouse Michael. We tried for several minutes to wake him when Lana got the idea to drop the phone book on the floor, making Michael think it was his laptop. That got him.

Slowly, the three of us crept down the hall, just as I thought we got away with it, I heard, "Do you want to end up like that Alabama girl?" It was Dad.

I sighed and turned around, "Dad, I'm going to see James…"

"I don't care, missy. It's not safe for you to leave without us." He said sternly, as Mom came up behind him.

"I think they should be able to go. Myra's leaving for college soon and we need to learn to trust that she can take of herself. You have your cell phone right?" She asked.

I nodded and all three of us pulled out our phones.

Mom turned back to my Dad, "See? All of them have their phones. This is an intensely private matter for our daughter. I doubt she wants her parents ruining it." She said, winking at me. I smiled.

Dad sighed an was silent for a moment, mulling it over. "Ok, but call us when you get there and when you leave. Come straight back here afterwards."

"Thanks dad!" I exclaimed and hugged him tightly.

We quickly made our way outside and hailed a cab. The drive to the Fort was the longest and shortest drive I ever had. I was nervous, making the drive short, and excited, making it long. I held Lana's hand the entire way there. I'm sure I annoyed everyone because I fidgeted so much. Then the Fort came into our view and dominated it. The large, black stoned, square Fort almost reminded me of Azkaban. Well, Fort Charles was the Azkaban of pirates.

The cab pulled up right beside the Fort's entrance. After I paid, we got out and surveyed it. From the outside, it looked pretty much intact. The inside was probably another story.

"Are we going in?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, but I feel like I'm gonna puke though." I said.

"Hey, don't be nervous." Lana smiled as she looped her arm around mine and Michael did the same. Slowly, they led me inside.

"James?" I called. My voiced echoed. I let go of my friends and walked up the stone stairs. Michael and Lana stayed a few feet behind, giving me space.

"James?" I said, searching every room on the second floor.

"Hello Myra." I heard from behind me.

I turned around and there he was. James. He looked no different than the last time I saw him, dressed in his Commodore uniform. He was a ghost now, meaning that anyone could see him. I briefly looked past him and saw Michael's eye bulge out of his sockets. He screamed and ran off.

I was finally seeing my James for the first time in years. "James," I said, and jumped into his open arms. For a split second, I worried that I would go straight through him, but I didn't. He gave me the biggest hug I had in my entire life, then and now. Instead of the feel of solid human arms around me and body pressed against mine, James felt like static. It made sense since he was nothing but human energy. I latched onto him as though my life depended on it. Suddenly, all those years of being without him hit me. I sobbed into his chest, he gently soothed me, slowly rocking me and rubbed my back and arms.

"Sshh, there is no need for tears." He said.

I pulled back and was able to look into his beautiful green eyes again, "I know, I just missed you so much. Why did you leave me?"

"I did not intentionally leave you. I had gone to the Other Side where I found Jack Sparrow. I became angry and tried to fight him, which is not allowed. I lost my guardian status and now I am trapped here on Earth. I cannot go any further than the proximity of the Fort." He explained with sadness and frustration clouding his eyes.

"It's always 'bout gettin' your status back, eh? If I were you, I'd keep a better hold on it." A slurred voice said from behind me. I still clung to James and couldn't see who it was. Lana and James could.

"Why do you always appear at the inopportune moment for me?" James asked.

"Holy shit! You're Captain Jack Sparrow!" Lana exclaimed, gawking and pointing at whoever was behind me. I didn't care, I was in James' arms once more.

"I see I'm not welcome here, I best be on my way even if I know how to get your status back. It's never a good idea to leave Timmy alone unsupervised anyway…he may join the Navy…"

"Wait! You said there was a way I could be with Myra again?" James asked.

"Yep, but I'm not welcome." I heard footsteps.

"Sparrow." James growled.

I heard the squeak of shoe soles turning. "All ya hafta do is apologize. And mean it! Apparently the ability to apologize and mean it is a big thing up there."

"I offer you my deepest condolences for any harm I have caused you. I apologize."

James' apology was through gritted teeth, but nonetheless, was it sincere.

"Shit! He's gone! Myra, I can't see your guy anymore!"

James smiled and didn't let go of me.

James was by my side the rest of trip and the months before college. He routinely checked on me at college. Eventually, he took on other souls to guard, and I don't see him as much as I used to but every time I feel the warm spring air, or see the beautiful redemption of rain whilst the sun still shines, I know it's James and I know he is still there.


End file.
